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Lynn Morton had a top goal in mind after being named president this summer at Warren Wilson - make the college more affordable for state residents.

Three months later, Morton and her administration this week announced the school for the first time would cover the cost of tuition for all incoming, in-state students eligible for federal or state need-based aid.

Starting in fall 2018, the Warren Wilson College NC Free Tuition Plan for students new to the school will work toward reducing the out-of-pocket costs.

"This is for the students who are stuck in the middle, who eventually get to a point where they can't ever pay loans back in full," Morton said.

Morton said she has always wanted to create a program option like free tuition but was waiting to work at the right school before introducing such a plan.

College tuition costs have been rising across the nation, forcing students to make tough decisions regarding their future and, sometimes, even declining acceptance letters to top-ranked schools.

Students turning down their dream schools do so primarily for financial reasons, according to Education Advisory Board studies.

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Megan Stuber and Forest Ownbey, students at Warren Wilson College, and Trey Tingle and Barbara Bell, volunteers at Loving Food Resources, prepare to clean shelves in the food pantry as part of the college's service day during orientation week in August. The college announced Friday it will be offering a free tuition program.(Photo: Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize)

Average published tuition and fees at private nonprofit four-year institutions like Warren Wilson increased 3.6 percent before adjusting for inflation, rising from $32,330 in 2015-16 to $33,480 in 2016-17, according to a report from the nonprofit College Board.

Tuition at Warren Wilson now costs $34,500, although the average cost of attendance after financial aid is $24,400 a year. The school has 716 undergraduate and graduate students and offers 20 majors and 45 programs of study.

Morton, Warren Wilson's first female president, said she believes it has taken so long for U.S. colleges and universities to see the benefits of providing free tuition partly because higher education can be insulated and complacent.

"That's changing now," Morton said.

The Higher Education Institute at the University of California Los Angeles conducted a study using 137,456 first-time, full-time students entering a college or university in 2016. The report focused on mental health, financial status and political views.

More than half of those surveyed were concerned about paying for college.

Morton said Warren Wilson is looking to eliminate those barriers for the next generation of students.

"When you look at the steep tuition of Ivy League schools, they have to start asking themselves - who are we trying to keep out?" Morton said.

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Rachel Klein, of Philadelphia, a creative writing and philosophy major at Warren Wilson College, weeds the community garden in the Shiloh Community as part of the college's service day during orientation week, Thursday, August 24, 2017.(Photo: Matt Burkhartt, Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize)

In addition to targeting the shrinking middle class, Warren Wilson is also looking to further diversify its population, she said.

"We still have room to grow in that respect," Morton said. "We are really interested in the Cherokee population and Latino students, which is a growing group across the country."

Students hoping to qualify for the NC Free Tuition Plan must submit proof of their N.C. residency and qualify for federal or state need-based grants. Students will receive the remainder of their tuition free through scholarships, grants and Warren Wilson's work-grant requirements.

"The more funding you get, the less you have to depend on student loans," Morton said.

"Our students are a critical part to making our community function," Morton said. "They have a great sense of ownership because they are required to do community service and work so it shifts their worldview of how things ought to work moving forward."

In addition to implementing the free tuition initiative, Warren Wilson is also starting a competitive scholarship program called Milepost 1, which will target out-of-state students who also fall in the middle class.

Milepost 1 will award full-tuition scholarships to 25 incoming students whose family income levels are equal to or below $125,000 a year, Morton said.

The application process is rigorous and requires students to submit a two-minute video.

This gives students the opportunity to show off creative sides of themselves, Morton said, and gives the admissions team insight to who they are beyond the paper application.

"They will tell us who has played a big role in their life up until this point of applying to college," Morton said.

Morton said she foresees an influx of students applying to Warren Wilson next year but the application and admissions process will remain the same.

"People are calling into question the value of a college education but it still remains the way in to ensure the future of your personal financial health," Morton said. "To think we are denying a huge group of people the opportunity to obtain an education who used to have access but cannot afford it anymore is really frightening to us at Warren Wilson and as a nation."